Let Light Be Your Guide When Framing Windows

Let Light Be Your Guide When Framing Windows

Let Light Be Your Guide When Framing Windows

Consider light, air, and darkness when choosing how to frame windows in your home. Windows control the light in the room, creating a dramatic sliver, a golden square for a cat lounge, or the wide illumination of an entire space. People want light, so how do you draw the eye there? Does your room need intimacy and calm, or space for work and alertness? What do you want to illuminate? Here are a few ideas for framing windows to get you started.

Living Walls

This indoor garden trend involves hanging boxes with plants growing vertically. Succulents are currently popular, with geometric shapes and interesting lines that match the modern aesthetic. They’re also hardy and don’t need a lot of tending. Herb gardens and small rainforests may suit your personal style better. Living walls are green in more ways than one, as they improve indoor air quality while making a statement. You can get everything you need in a kit, or if you’re handy, hit the hardware store.

Window Seat

A classic for good reason, a window seat combines cosy comfort, a nook filled with natural light, and practical storage. Indeed, a thick drape in something sumptuous like suede cloth or brocade could enclose a window seat for the perfect indoor escape, or forgo curtains to create an inviting focal point. If you’re averse to carpentry, bench furniture and pillows can create the same effect. Besides the romance of it, every house could use extra seating and another cupboard.

Low Bookcases and High Art

To highlight collections and art pieces, flank the window with matching shelves that are low and use the vertical space as your gallery. Don’t be afraid to go near the ceiling, further than the top of the window frame, just as long as the higher pieces don’t have details that would be lost. Choose bookcases that are the same size and colour, if not identical. A unifying scheme works well in these intentional displays, but if you want a jumble of everything in your gallery, you can bring it together by painting all the frames the same colour.

Think Outside the Blinds

As with all things décor, don’t limit yourself to framing windows at the home goods shop. What unusual materials can you use to manage light, views, and visual appeal on your windows? Further, vintage lace, beaded curtains, even macramé are coming back in style. Install cast iron twists, old fireplace fenders, and pieces of fences upside down at the top of a window to create a unique frame. Painting on the glass (if you’re artistic) or applying vinyl clings (if you’re not) lets light through and shares it with the world outside.

Learn More About Framing Windows

Contact Lisa Lewis Interior Design to schedule a consultation here.